Man accused of kidnapping woman, attempting to kill infant

VANCOUVER, Wash. — A Ridgefield, Washington man is being held on $1 million bail after authorities say he kidnapped a woman early Sunday as she sought help at a Vancouver, Washington convenience store, assaulted her and tried to kill their infant.

Aarondeep Johal, 32, was reportedly out of custody on bail in a pending case with the same victim and had a no-contact order, The Columbian reported.

He appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of attempted domestic violence murder, kidnapping, assault, and other charges.

Deputy Prosecutor Gabriel Foster told Judge John Fairgrieve that a threat assessment found the victim is at “extreme risk of being killed by the defendant.”

In response, Johal said, “I’ve never touched (the alleged victim) in my life.”

According to an affidavit of probable cause, a 7-Eleven clerk told police that a woman asked to use the phone and that a man dragged her out, pushed her into a car and sped off, court records state.

They were found at the victim’s apartment and the woman had a laceration on her head, police said. Officers said Johal threatened to kill the baby and pressed her against a wall, the affidavit states.

A crisis entry hostage team responded, and an officer eventually punched Johal to get him to release the child, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

The infant and her mother were taken to hospitals. The baby remained hospitalized Monday afternoon, police said.

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